It’s difficult to fathom that we’ve reached the end of the Fall Quarter at the Daniels College of Business, particularly given the balmy weather in Colorado this November. The past few months have been marked by myriad curricular and programmatic innovations; exceptional faculty scholarship and student achievements; and the development of exciting initiatives that are helping Daniels expand its reach far beyond campus borders.
While our accomplishments are numerous, several are particularly noteworthy. In September we launched The Denver MBA, a new model that turns the traditional MBA on its head with a focus on challenge-driven education, market readiness and customized leadership development. Our outstanding faculty continue to garner national and international attention, including faculty in the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, who won the prestigious McCool Breakthrough Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education for their groundbreaking work to train refugees to work in the industry. Daniels’ continued involvement in the interdisciplinary Project X-ITE places us at the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation and technology by fostering our participation in events like Denver Startup Week, which enriches our students’ experience immeasurably.
Bolstered by this auspicious start to the academic year, we look ahead to 2017 with great anticipation. We’ll continue to attract and retain faculty of the highest caliber like two recent additions to the Marketing Department: Assistant Professors Ana Babic-Rosario and Gia Nardini. Both Babic-Rosario and Nardini are renowned experts in their areas of specialization—electronic word-of-mouth and consumer behavior, respectively. Additionally, both are contributing to the development of a pilot behavioral lab for the department, working with Assistant Professors Melissa Akaka and Ali Besharat.
We’ll continue to enhance our institutional data to better serve our students and attract the best and brightest for incoming classes. Following extensive work by Daniels’ Career Services team, our information on recent graduates—including average salaries and accepted job offers—increased dramatically from 49 percent for the class of 2015 to 88 percent for the class of 2016. Additionally, several of our graduate programs have job placement rates that range from 92 percent to 100 percent. This information is critical when it comes to demonstrating the value of a Daniels education.
And we’ll continue to form new partnerships, such as the one we recently established with Herat University in Afghanistan. In addition to helping foster greater understanding between America and the Middle East, the partnership will result in the development of an MBA curriculum at Herat University that focuses on market relevance in Afghanistan, and building local capacity and employability. Serving as mentors to their Afghan counterparts, Daniels faculty will help develop the skills of Herat’s economics faculty in the areas of curriculum and programmatic design, and teaching. Look for a longer story highlighting this transformative partnership in the January issue of BizNotes.
Undoubtedly, we can—and should—look back at our accomplishments in 2016 with great pride, knowing that we’re ready to tackle the challenges and harness the opportunities awaiting us in 2017.
May this holiday season be filled with good health and happiness. Thank you for your continued support of the Daniels College of Business.
Sincerely,
E. LaBrent Chrite, PhD
Dean